was up to” and provided the agency with incorrect
information that makes us appear to be in violation of the
law. Since this misinformation came from within DoD, it
will be invaluable if this information is formally corrected
by the right people in DoD. Thank you for your thoughts
and as always for your time.
With my best regards,
Elizabeth.When he read Elizabeth’s email a few hours later, Mattis was
furious. He forwarded it to Colonel Erin Edgar, CENTCOM’s
command surgeon and the aide-de-camp he’d put in charge of making
the Theranos field test happen, with a note that conveyed his anger:
Erin: Who is LTC Shoemaker and what is going on here?...I
have tried to get this device tested in theater asap, legally
and ethically, and I need to know did this visit happen as
related below and how do we overcome this new obstacle...
Bottom line, I need ground truth for the accuracy of the
statements below. If I need to see LTC Shoemaker and LTC
Mann so they can explain how I am pushing for something
unethical or illegal please set up a time for them to meet
with me in Tampa when I return to the states [sic] (I am
going to be delayed in theater past my original return
date). Thanks, MThe CMS inspector’s surprise visit had put Elizabeth on the
warpath. In a phone call to Colonel Edgar, she threatened to sue
Shoemaker. Edgar relayed her threat to his Fort Detrick colleague,
along with news of the inspection. He also forwarded to Shoemaker
Elizabeth’s email to Mattis and Mattis’s reaction to it.
When he read the email string, Shoemaker blanched. Mattis was one
of the most powerful and fearsome people in the military. The blunt-
spoken general had once famously told Marines stationed in Iraq, “Be